Once upon a time, there was a marksman named Geng Ying in the state of Wei. One day, he along with Emperor Wei went out for some amusement. He spotted a wild goose flying ahead and he said to Emperor Wei, "I only have a bow, but I can shoot that bird down without an arrow." Emperor Wei not believing him replied, "Could it really be that your archery has reached such a high level?"
Geng Ying positioned himself, drew back his empty bowstring and feigned the shot of his arrow. The wild goose did indeed fall from the sky. Emperor Wei simply could not believe his eyes and asked, "Could it really be that your archery has reached such a high level?"Geng Ying replied, "This wild goose has been wounded by an arrow once before. When he heard the sound of my bow, he fell out of fear, not because my archery is good."Emperor Wei asked, "How did you know he was injured?"Geng Ying explained, "He was flying slowly and singing sadly. It is evident that he left the flock a long time ago. His wounds were aching, and his flight lonesome, fear had not been removed from his heart. When he heard the sound of my bow, desperate in his attempt to escape, he reached for the heights with all his might. However, his very effort caused his wounds to split, and so he fell."
词语注释:
魏国:(Wèiguó) n. the Kingdom Wei
大雁:(dàyàn) n. wild migratory goose
姿势:(zīshì) n. posture
弓弦:(gōngxián) n. bowstring
虚:(xū) ad. in vain
箭术:(jiànshù) n. archery
悲凄:(bēiqī) a. mournful
裂开:(lièkāi) v. to split
意义:
"惊弓之鸟"本义是被指弓箭吓怕了的鸟。比喻受过惊吓或者打击的人,遇到类似的情况,就会惊恐不安。
The original meaning of "惊弓之鸟"is a bird afraid of a bow. It is a metaphor for someone who was shocked or stricken at one time, who when encountering a similar situation becomes terrified.
例句:
1、因为去年市场很不稳定,很多商家损失巨大。现在他们像惊弓之鸟,不敢大量进货了。 Because the market was not stable and many merchants suffered huge loss last year, now they are extremely frightened and do not dare to make large investments.
2、这支队伍在桥上被偷袭过,已是惊弓之鸟,再过桥时,都很担心。 This troop, having suffered a surprise attack on the bridge before were left in shock. They are now worried about crossing the bridges again.